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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24184162">Oh Snap, A Road Trip!</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/hondagirll/pseuds/hondagirll'>hondagirll</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Single Parents (TV 2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fix-It, Kid Fic, Road Trips, implied will/angie but they are not the focus</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:47:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,913</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24184162</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/hondagirll/pseuds/hondagirll</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Douglas goes to Barstow to rescue Angie.</p><p>Along with the twins, his ex-girlfriend, her son and a three year-old who doesn’t belong to either of them.</p><p>…...this is all Will’s fault. </p><p> </p><p>[post season two]</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Poppy Banks/Douglas Fogerty</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>60</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Oh Snap, A Road Trip!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I'm not sure what happened. I sat down to write one scene I couldn't get out of my head and now here I am posting this 8000 words later. I love Poppy and Douglas and the last few episodes of the season just crushed me, absolutely DEVASTATED me in that department. All I want is them to be happy with their kids and their crazy friends and well, to be perfectly honest I probably wrote this more for me than for anything else. No regrets.</p><p>Spoilers below for a lot of kids to adults interactions, mentions of poop and other bodily functions, car trip shenanigans and a guaranteed happy ending. Please comment if you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It starts with a phone call.</p><p> </p><p>“Douglas?”</p><p>The voice coming through his phone is small, muffled and reeks of bad life decisions and poor hygiene habits. Douglas stifles a groan and pinches his forehead. He shouldn’t have answered.</p><p>“Angie?”</p><p>“Douglas! <em> Ah! </em> Oh thank god! You need to come rescue me. I’m trapped in a box. Well, more like a shed. Maybe. Or an outhouse? I’m really not sure. Which one of them has the hole in the bottom of the floor that you pee in?”</p><p>“An outhouse.”</p><p>“Okay, I’m definitely in a shed then. Which is still dark, cramped and scary. But there are buckets in here which is great because I drank like two liters of orange soda plus three glasses of champagne for breakfast and it’s turning into the Niagra Falls down there. Sidenote I think one of the buckets might have a lizard in it or a really big spider. It jumped up at me but I didn’t get a good look because I closed my eyes and screamed. So I might just wait until I really have to go-”</p><p>“D’Amato!” Douglas barks, his fingers clenched tight around his phone. It’s too early for this. “Why are you calling me?”</p><p>“Because I need you to come rescue me.”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Please.”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Please.”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Puh-leeeeeeeeease.” She stretches the word out like the twins do when they are fighting over their newest piece of construction equipment and it’s even more annoying hearing it come from a fully grown adult woman than from a pair of eight year old’s (though the jury is still out on the “adult” portion of that sentence. See also: this phone call).</p><p>Douglas takes a deep breath and counts to four before exhaling and saying, slowly.  “Rescue you from what?”</p><p>"From Derek.” There is a clatter and a yelp and then what sounds like a really bad radio version of a budget strapped symphony orchestra coming through the phone line. After a second Angie is back, breathing heavily. “Sorry, I knocked over a wall of paint cans. At least I think I did. It’s pretty dark in here so it might also have been a wall of chandeliers. Although why Derek would store chandeliers in his shed I don’t know.”</p><p>Douglas sighs again and resigns himself to continuing this ridiculous phone call. This is why he prefers letters. No one has to actually read letters. They can just throw them away and then lie when questioned.</p><p>“And why do you need rescuing from Derek?”</p><p>“Because I screwed up, Douglas! I screwed up. I let my lady bits and my stupid ass heart do all the talking like I was some sixteen year old girl with dreadlocks and a Grateful Dead t-shirt all over again and now I am trapped in the middle of nowhere with a guy I don’t want to be with in a town that looks like it can be the setting for the next Tremors movie!” </p><p>“So I take it things are not going well with the blueberry scientist?”</p><p>“No <em> Douglas</em>, they are not. Look, I made a mistake and I need to come home but I can’t because Derek drove me here and I need someone to come pick me up.”</p><p>“And you chose me?”</p><p>There is a beat of silence. “No. I actually called Poppy first. And then Miggy. But neither of them answered. You are option number three.”</p><p>“Oddly enough that makes me feel better, thank you.”</p><p>“Look, Douglas can you please-?"</p><p>“Wait. Why don’t you call Will? Needing to swoop in and rescue the day? Needing to rescue <em> you? </em> Will lives for this kind of crap, you should really call him. Heck, I will even do it for you.”</p><p>“No!” This time the shriek that comes through the phone is so loud that Douglas jerks and takes a step back. He puts the phone back to his ear just in time to hear Angie say, “You can’t tell Will. You can’t, Douglas. Please. He and I….me and him... Will and Angie...no! Will cannot know I want to come home less than a week in. HE CANNOT. Promise me you won’t tell him, Douglas. Promise me!!”</p><p>“Okay, fine. I promise. I won’t tell Will.” </p><p>“Thank you. Now can you please come get me before I have to live the rest of this summer in my ex-boyfriend’s/baby daddy’s shed otherwise known as Angie’s newest building of torture!?!?!?”</p><p>Douglas sighs, resigned. “Send me your address. I’ll be there in a few hours.”</p><p>“Thank you!”</p><p>“Wait.”  A sudden thought strikes Douglas from the beginning of their conversation. “You had champagne <em> and </em> orange soda for breakfast?”</p><p>“I was trying to be classy, Douglas. I’m a <em> lady </em>. Now hurry up!”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Luckily Angie chooses to have her meltdown on a Tuesday morning which also happens to be the one day of the week that Douglas’ dermatology office is closed (it pays sometimes to have been practicing long enough that he is able to set his own hours). Unfortunately school is out for the summer and the twins extracurricular activities don't start up until Thursday. And as the extra cherry on an already ruined cake Tony chose this week to leave for his annual equestrian trip (Douglas would pay good money to see Tony stay up on a horse for more than five seconds, he really would).  Which is why, thirty five minutes after Angie called him, Douglas is knocking on Poppy’s front door heart pounding loudly in his chest as the girls look up at him in annoyance.</p><p>Amy crosses her arms. “We were planning on laying the foundation today, Dad.”</p><p>“Yeah, we are on a schedule. That concrete isn’t going to last forever,” adds Emma. “And we still have to put the posts up otherwise our whole timetable is off!”</p><p>“Why are we here?” Amy asks. “I thought you and Poppy weren’t dating anymore.”</p><p>“We are here because I say so,” says Douglas, ignoring the rest of the question as Poppy finally opens her front door. She dressed in one of her signature form fitting dresses, her dark hair is falling loosely down her back and she looks so breathtakingly beautiful that Douglas has to physically clench his hands into fists in order to stop himself from reaching out for her.</p><p>“Hello,” says Poppy, looking surprised to see them on her front step. Her gaze swings from Douglas to the twins and then back to him again. “What are you all doing here?”</p><p>“We don’t know,” sighs Emma, sadly. “He won’t tell us.”</p><p>Douglas bites back a groan. “Hello Poppy,” he says a little formally because he is unsure of the correct protocol for how to greet the woman who broke his heart in half but still wants to be friends and whom he needs a favor from but only because of her crazy best friend whom <em> she </em> introduced him to. “Can we talk?”</p><p>If anything Poppy now looks even more surprised but she gamely steps back inside her house and gestures for them to enter. She nods to the girls as Douglas closes the door behind them.</p><p>“Rory is in his bedroom with Jack putting on a fashion show if you want to join him. Last I checked they were on the Roaring Twenties and Baby Jack was wearing a mini Fedora while singing show tunes.”</p><p>“Oh this we got to see,” says Amy as the twins drop their bags on the floor and run off down the hallway. Poppy shakes her head at them fondly before looking back at Douglas.</p><p>“So what’s up?” she asks, moving towards the kitchen as Douglas follows. She opens up the refrigerator door and pulls out one of her green smoothie drinks that Douglas thinks taste like grass. “You thirsty?”</p><p>“No but thank you. Look, I’m here because I need a favor. Can you watch the twins for me today?”</p><p>Poppy pauses, the drink halfway to her mouth. She lowers it. “Of course. Is everything okay?”</p><p>Douglas waves his hand. “Of course, everything is fine. I just need to see a man... er.. a woman about um…. about a thing.”</p><p>Poppy’s eyebrows raise so high on her forehead that they nearly disappear into her hairline. “You need to see a woman? About a thing?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“What <em> woman</em>, Douglas? What <em> thing</em>?”</p><p>It’s then that Douglas realizes that might not have been the best choice of words for him to use. Poppy is looking like she’s about to slay him alive, right where he stands on her kitchen floor.</p><p>“Nothing. I mean,” he sighs. “I have to go to Barstow.”</p><p>“You have to go to Barstow?” There is a moment of confusion but then she gasps loudly, panic stricken. “Angie!”</p><p>“She’s fine, she’s fine,” says Douglas but Poppy is already fumbling through her purse on the counter, searching for her phone. “She just had a little tiff with Derek and needs me to come pick her up.”</p><p>“Little tiff?” Poppy has found her phone and is now scrolling through her texts, her fingers flying. “She accidentally set his pet turtle and favorite houseplant on fire and he kicked her out.” She continues reading.  “She’s now hiding under an old cellar door and making friends with <em> mice</em>?”</p><p>“Okay, she didn’t mention that part.”</p><p>“Well, whatever. I am coming with you.”</p><p>Douglas grabs her arm as she attempts to walk past him. “Poppy you don’t have to-”</p><p>“She is my best friend, Douglas! I am not leaving her out there in that tiny town all by herself.”</p><p>“Angie’s not by herself. She has the mice.”</p><p>“Douglas!” Poppy shouts at him, her chest heaving and her eyes bright. Douglas realizes that he’s still holding her arm and this is the closest they've been in weeks. Her face is inches from his, her lips are the color of a Boulevardier and he finds himself suddenly wanting to lean down and kiss her again, really kiss her. Let every ounce of love he still has for this queen of a woman leave his body and pass through his mouth to hers, never to return to him again. He wants to be free of all the pain, sadness, hurt and confusion she’s caused him these last few weeks. At this point he would happily welcome another heart attack if it meant that he didn’t have to feel. If it meant he could go back to being numb and alone again.</p><p>Abruptly Douglas lets go of her arm and takes a step back. Poppy does the same.There is a long stretch of silence while they both gaze in opposite directions across the room, the air between them still shimmering with unspoken tension. Douglas is studiously studying an old drawing of Rory’s tacked up on the kitchen wall when Poppy finally speaks, her voice tinged with forced lightness.</p><p>“Angie is my friend, Douglas. My country. I have to make sure she’s alright.”</p><p>Douglas nods. He understands that. He doesn’t like it, he doesn't want her coming with him anymore than he wants to go but he understands. He’s a Fogerty after all, his ancestors were forged in battle and steel. He should be able to handle the three hour drive from here to Barstow with the love of his life in the passenger seat next to him.</p><p>(Former love of his life. <em> Former. </em>) </p><p>“Okay, you can come.”</p><p>Poppy flashes him a small smile but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.  “Perfect. I’ll go let the kids know and then put together a small bag with snacks and activities for Jack.”</p><p>“Wait. The kids are coming too?”</p><p>She rolls her eyes and the return of her familiar exasperation with him makes the temperature in the room go back down several degrees to normal. Douglas pretends he's not disappointed.  “Yes, Douglas. What are we supposed to do, leave a toddler and three children here unsupervised while we spend six hours in a car?”</p><p>“Frankly I’d rather do that then spend six hours trapped in a steel box on wheels with a toddler and three children.”</p><p>“Douglas!”</p><p>“Can’t Miggy watch them?” He knows he’s pleading but he can’t help it. He’s been trapped in a car with Rory before and it's not a memory he particularly wants to relive anytime soon. </p><p>Poppy shakes her head. “Miggy is at the Shakespeare Festival in San Dimas with Homily and Brian. They won’t be back until late tonight so I’m watching Jack until tomorrow morning.”</p><p>“Well how about Rory? He’s in double digits now and somewhat responsible-”</p><p>The stern look Poppy gives him is enough to make Douglas swallow the rest of the protest in his throat. He knows all her various facial expressions pretty well and right now he is hovering at the ‘<em>you better stop</em>’ face right before hitting the ‘<em>boy, I warned you</em>’ face that only leads to pain and regret.  Last time he was at this stage and pressed on with his argument Poppy made him sleep on her child-sized sofa for a week. It was torture, his back still hasn’t fully recovered.</p><p>“Fine,” Douglas sighs, conceding defeat. ““I’ll go install Jack’s car seat in my car.”</p><p>“Spontaneous summertime road trip! Oh, this will be fun!”</p><p>Yes, a road trip to rescue his crazy, pyromaniac former tenant currently trapped in a pit stop of a town with his ex-girlfriend, her son, his twins and a toddler who doesn’t belong to either of them. Sounds like a right barrel of laughs.</p><p>Douglas isn’t positive but he's pretty confident in knowing that somehow, someway this is all Will's fault. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>The trip goes pretty well for the first hour and a half. Douglas, grateful that the kids didn’t say much about their spontaneous road trip to go pick up Angie other than Rory remarking “Wow, you adults sure are a mess”, hands them all brand new headphones and lets them watch a DVD in the back. Poppy spends the whole time on her phone texting Angie, pausing every now and then to give Douglas various, all important updates (apparently it was a lizard in the bucket not a spider. Douglas is <em>so</em> glad they cleared that little mystery up). Jack falls asleep in his car seat ten minutes after they have left the driveway and because it is not quite twelve o’clock yet the freeways are open and traffic is light. All in all, it’s going a lot better than he expected.</p><p>And that is when shit starts to hit the fan. Literally. </p><p>“Ew,” yelps Rory from the third row. “What is that smell?”</p><p>Douglas glances in the rear view mirror to see the twins and Rory making identical faces of disgust. “What smell?”</p><p>“I don’t know,” wails Rory, waving his hand in the air in front of him and grimacing. “That’s why I’m asking <em> you! </em>”</p><p>“It smells rank,” adds Emma, pulling up the collar of her polo shirt and covering her nose. “Like stale milk.”</p><p>“Like stale- <em> oh no </em>,” Poppy exchanges a wide eyed glance with Douglas. “Jack!” she hisses.</p><p>Douglas glances back in the mirror to see that Jack is now awake, looking out the window and smiling happily. He looks clean, not a stain visible but Douglas has learned the hard way that it is the cleanest infants who are often the most deadliest.</p><p>“Amy?” asks Poppy softly, twisting around in her seat to peer at Amy who is sitting next to Jack in the middle row. “Sweetie, can you check and tell me if it is Jack?”</p><p>“I don’t want to check!” says Amy, stretching her small body away from Jack as much as her seat belt will allow. “I’m not his Miggy!!”</p><p>“Amy!” thunders Douglas, eyes flickering between the road in front of him and the chaos happening behind him. Rory is still fake gagging in the back. “Listen to Poppy and sniff!”</p><p>Amy huffs in annoyance but she leans forward just enough to sniff the toddler. She recoils, quickly. “It’s him! Jack smells like poop!”</p><p>“Gross!!!!” exclaim Emma and Rory together.</p><p>“We need to find someplace to pull over and change him,” says Poppy.</p><p>Douglas nods. “I’ll pull off at the next exit. Everyone! Keep your eyes open for a restaurant or gas station with bathrooms. It’s all hands on deck right now!”</p><p>The next three minutes pass by slowly. Jack, finally aware of the giant shit show in his pants has started to cry, loudly and without ceasing. Poppy, still turned around in the passenger seat, is trying to console him but to no avail. The three older kids are not helping. In between making fart noises and other bodily fluid sound effects they are also calling out suggestions of random places for Douglas to stop at (Chuck E Cheese! Home Depot! West Elm!). The smell finally makes its way up to the front towards the adults and it’s just as rank as Douglas suspected. No one is more relieved than him when he finally pulls off the freeway and parks.</p><p>“Denny’s?” declares Rory, staring at the familiar yellow and red sign over the entrance. “What are we, poor?”</p><p>“Don’t start Rory Banks,” cautions Poppy with a stern look as she unbuckles her seat belt and opens her door. She walks around the car to retrieve the crying toddler. “I’ll be right back with Jack,” she says, setting him on her hip and grabbing the small bag with his change of clothes. Douglas nods as he watches her walk briskly through the half empty parking lot and enter Denny’s, the door swinging shut behind her. </p><p>“I like Denny's,” remarks Emma. “They have good milkshakes.”</p><p>“And fries,” adds Amy, staring wistfully out the window at the restaurant. “They have really crispy fries.”</p><p>“Well I do enjoy a good milkshake and fries,” says Rory with a little nod. Almost as a unit they all turn in their seats to look up front at Douglas and sweetly smile. It's a bit creepy.</p><p>“No,” he says. “No, no, no. We are not eating here. This was an emergency stop only. E-mer-gen-ceeeeey,” he places particular emphasis on the last word but it does no good. Within two minutes they are stepping inside the front entrance and by the time Poppy exits the lady’s room ten minutes later with a freshly cleaned Jack, Douglas is waving her down from the corner booth where he and the kids have been seated and given drinks.</p><p>“The kids got hungry,” he tells her with an embarrassed smile as she settles Jack in the high chair Douglas had the server bring over. She opens up Jack’s bag and brings out a small bag of fruit snacks which she then opens and hands to the toddler, distracting him.</p><p>“It’s fine,” Poppy says as she hangs the bag and her purse on the high chair and sits down in the empty spot next to Douglas. He scoots down the booth to make more room. Rory and the twins are sitting together across the table, having an epic conversation about some online game they all play together. “It’s probably a good idea to eat before we go much further.”</p><p>“I got you an iced tea and asked for extra sweetener.” Douglas nods at the drink in front of Poppy’s place setting.</p><p>“You...you ordered for me?”</p><p>“Just the drink!” Douglas holds up both his hands. “I’m not dumb enough to make the same mistake twice.”</p><p>“Three times,” corrects Poppy, an eyebrow raised. “You also ordered dinner for me at Tower 12, remember?”</p><p>“You liked those mussels though. You ordered them the next two times we went back.”</p><p>“Oh yeah,” Poppy chuckles. “They were delicious.”</p><p>“I told you they would be.”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah,” Poppy shakes her head at him but she is smiling. He is grinning too.</p><p>“Um, EXCUSE ME,” interrupts Rory and Douglas looks up in surprise. “If you two are done HAVING A MOMENT, your starving children would like to order.”</p><p>Their waiter is standing next to their booth, his pen and pad ready. “Oh sorry,” both Poppy and Douglas say together, their faces flushed. The next few minutes are spent ordering and by the time the waiter leaves both Douglas and Poppy have busied themselves tending to the kids. Jack in particular requires a lot of one-on-one interaction and Poppy spends most of the meal talking and making funny faces at him as he laughs and eats his chicken nuggets. Douglas mostly focuses his attention on the other children at the table who did not poop their pants today. </p><p>However there are a few times when Douglas is talking or listening to the kids that he is eerily conscious of Poppy's presence next to him. Her arm brushing up against his own as she laughs at something funny Rory said. Her fingers inches from his as she reaches for the bottle of ketchup. One time she moves her head quickly in order to answer a question of Amy’s and Douglas is suddenly assaulted by the familiar smell of her shampoo floating in the air reminding him of all the nights they spent curled up in bed together. It’s both the shortest and the longest lunch Douglas has ever had and by the time it is over he is a rigid mass of pent up emotions.</p><p>“Hey Douglas?” asks Poppy as she lifts Jack up from the high chair and sets him on the ground. He tries to run away but Poppy reaches down and stalls him. “I think Jack needs to let off a little steam before we get back in the car and there is an empty grass area right outside. Do you mind paying while I take the kids out and let them run around?”</p><p>“Not at all,” says Douglas. “It’ll give me a chance to finish my soda.”</p><p>She smiles at him and ushers the kids out, leaving Douglas sitting at the table. It’s the first time he’s been alone by himself in a few hours and while he thought he would savor it more, within a few minutes he finds himself up at the front register paying for their meal.</p><p>“Is that your family?” The server who had brought them their food is ringing Douglas up. He nods out the nearby window and Douglas turns to see all three kids and Poppy pretending to run away from a delighted Jack, his short wispy hair blowing sideways in the wind and giving him a fake mohawk look.  </p><p>Douglas opens his mouth to correct him but the man continues, “Your wife is beautiful and your kids are very well behaved.”</p><p>“She is, isn’t she?” Douglas finds himself agreeing instead, his eyes fixated on Poppy as she slows down long enough to let Jack catch her. He barrels straight into her legs and she laughs, bending down and picking him up, tossing him in the air as the twins and Rory crowd around behind her, cheering loudly. The sight of the five of them together makes something twinge down deep in Douglas’ chest, like an old ache coming back. Like an image from a future he doesn’t have anymore flickering in front of him.</p><p>Douglas turns back to the man and takes his receipt. “Thank you,” he says, feeling oddly emotional. He clears his throat and then nods again, this time more manly. “Thank you.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>A three car crash occurred on the 10 while they were eating lunch and traffic is backed up all the way from Pomona. Poppy checks her freeway app and informs Douglas it will be an additional hour and counting before they reach the 15 interchange. He nods his head but in the back of the car the twins and Rory all groan. </p><p>“What are you all complaining about?” he asks grumpily, looking at them in the rear view mirror. “You all aren’t the one driving.”</p><p>“But we are bored, Dad.” says Emma. “This is so boring.”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“We just stopped and ate,” exclaims Poppy in disbelief. “We literally <em> just </em>had a break.”</p><p>“Well now we need another one,” says Rory as Amy and Emma nod along in agreement. </p><p>“Don’t you have -oh I don’t know, expensive things to distract yourself back there?” asks Douglas. “Toys? Gadgets?”</p><p>“We played them already.”</p><p>“Well in my day all we had were empty tin cans and a box full of matches. We would have been grateful for toys and gadgets. I mean look at Jack, he is content and happy with nothing. Be more like Jack.”</p><p>The three kids look at Jack who is currently occupied with picking his nose and flicking his boogers at the board book in his lap. After long pause they all start laughing. Loudly. Poppy catches Douglas’ eye and a moment later the two of them are laughing just as much as the kids. Jack, after a moment of confusion, decides to mimic the rest of them by giggling and within seconds the whole car is shaking with mirth. </p><p>“Oh Douglas,” says Rory a minute later, letting out one final laugh as he wipes his eyes and shakes his head. “You always know the perfect thing to say.”</p><p>“Yeah, good one, Dad,” agrees Amy who is sitting next to Rory (she refused to sit next to Jack when they got back in the car and Emma is now in the hot seat). “But seriously, we are still bored.”</p><p>“Are they too old to be dropped off at a fire station?” mutters Douglas out of the corner of his mouth to Poppy as the car in front of him comes to a complete stop and he follows. Poppy laughs again and reaches over to pat his arm, her touch light. It feels nice.</p><p>“Yes, I think so. They know their way home.”</p><p>“That’s too bad.”</p><p>“We can HEAR you!” shouts Rory from the back.</p><p>“I know!” yells Douglas, locking eyes with Rory in the mirror. The ten year-old glares and Douglas glares back, unfazed. </p><p>“Okay, okay,” Poppy claps her hands, drawing everyone’s attention to her. “Look, let’s play a game. How about I Spy?”</p><p>“What are we, five?” replies Amy snottily and Douglas can’t stop the cheeky grin that spreads over his face at the way Poppy instantly turns around in her seat to direct a withering stare at his daughter. Amy, to her credit, apologizes almost immediately. </p><p>“Sorry Poppy.”</p><p>“Apology accepted,” says Poppy with a smile that makes Douglas want to reach over and kiss her in thankfulness. Douglas knows his girls can be a little headstrong and hot headed at times but Poppy is one of the few people in the world who they both respect and listen to. Not everyone has that ability.</p><p>“As I was saying,” continues Poppy. “We can go around and play a round of I Spy. We each pick an object that we can see and then everyone tries to guess what it is by the color. I’ll go first. I spy with my little eye, something…..blue!”</p><p>“Douglas’ pants,” groans Rory.</p><p>Douglas looks down at his blue jeans and then up at Poppy. The sun is hitting her through the window so he can’t see her clearly but it looks like she’s blushing. </p><p>“Um, yes,” confirms Poppy. She bites her lip, avoids Douglas’ gaze and calls back to her son. “Now your turn, Rory!”</p><p>“I spy with my little eye….. something red and gold.” </p><p>Their little game of I Spy manages to last them past the traffic jam. They get stuck a few times, Emma in particular really likes to find obscure things on the side of the road such as half a blown tire and a pile of old teddy bears but all in all they do pretty well. Douglas even joins in for one round, impressing them all when he points out the black and white sign for a new restaurant chain that they all missed.  </p><p>“Are you doing okay?” asks Poppy by the time they finally merge on the 15 freeway towards Barstow, their game of I Spy long over. “You want to take a break and have me drive?” </p><p>“No. I’m good,” says Douglas. He risks a glance at her, noting she’s gnawing at her bottom lip. She only does that when she’s worried.  “But are you okay?”</p><p>“Yeah, I’m just-” </p><p>Poppy glances over her shoulder. Douglas looks in the rear view mirror to see Emma reading a picture book aloud to Jack.  He is repeating “Ball, Ball, Ball” to her every time she turns the page. Rory and Amy are each on their individual tablets, headphones in and lost to the world. He looks back as Poppy lowers her voice and continues.</p><p>“I’m worried about Angie.”</p><p>“Angie? Oh she’ll be fine, Poppy. We’ll be there soon, she won’t die from overnight exposure to the elements.”</p><p>“No it’s not that. It’s just..." Poppy sighs. "Angie put a lot of expectations on coming out here with Derek. This was a big step for her. A <em>very</em> big step. And after that new thing with Will, her coming here and then realizing that it wasn’t the right thing... I don’t know, Douglas. I just worry.”</p><p>“What new thing with Will?”</p><p>“The new thing with Will.”</p><p>“Is that different from her old thing with Will?”</p><p>“I’m not sure. Do you know about the old thing with Will or new thing with Will that is part of the old thing with Will?”</p><p>“The old thing.”</p><p>“Then yes this is a new thing with Will.”</p><p>“What’s the new thi- <em>wait</em>. You know what, never mind.” Douglas shakes his head, annoyed at himself for caring this much. He’s gone soft. “I don’t want to know.”</p><p>He can see Poppy bite back a small grin before growing somber again. Douglas sneaks a look in the mirror again, sees the kids are all still occupied and then reaches across the center console and grabs Poppy’s left hand. She startles at first, surprised, but then her grip relaxes and she gracefully laces her fingers with his. </p><p>“Angie is a lot stronger than she seems,” says Douglas, squeezing her hand. “Will, Derek, Barstow... she won't let any of it keep her down for long. She’s a fighter.”</p><p>“My girl is, isn’t she?”</p><p>Douglas turns his head to briefly meet Poppy’s eyes, his gaze direct. “She is. She’s the second strongest woman I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.”</p><p>This time there is no sun coming in through the window to disguise the blush, shock and pure pleasure that flicker quickly across Poppy’s face. She opens her mouth and then closes it before looking back at him, eyes shimmering with affection. He smiles back as she moves her thumb in a circle, her fingertips gently caressing his own. A small puff of air involuntarily escapes Douglas’ mouth at the movement, his shoulders instantly relaxing at her familiar touch. </p><p>They hold hands for the next few miles, only reluctantly letting go when Douglas needs to change lanes. If any of the kids notice they don’t say a word. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>They get to Barstow a little after four o’clock. Poppy gives Douglas directions from his cell phone as the kids watch with dawning horror out the car windows as they leave the clean and well lit retail stores, gas stations and large family restaurants right next to the freeway on-ramps and start to venture deeper into the middle of town where the buildings become more spaced out and less modern.The neighborhood Poppy ends up directing Douglas to is filled with single story homes from the fifties and sixties, the houses clean and the yards neat but everything looking just a little bit tired and rundown. As he drives Douglas can’t help but notice that Barstow is made up of different shades of beige and brown - from the neutral trim of the houses to the rocks and dirt that make up the front lawns to the rusty hills laid off in the distance. Here and there are some small patches of grass and a few scraggly trees dot the sidewalks but overall the entire town is covered in a thick layer of dirt and dust. It’s nothing like the concrete jungle of Los Angeles or the lush, green gardens of the landscaped suburbs. </p><p>“Welcome to the true California kids,” announces Douglas as he turns down the street leading to Derek’s place. “Welcome to the desert.”</p><p>“Gross,” remarks Rory, grimacing. “It’s so...uninspired.”</p><p>"This is where Graham's dad lives? Lame!" exclaims Amy as Emma nods her agreement.</p><p>“I like it,” says Douglas. </p><p>Rory rolls his eyes. “Of course you would.” </p><p>“Okay, so Derek’s house should be coming up...22459.” Poppy is bouncing slightly in her seat, her legs jittery. Angie stopped responding to texts over an hour ago and though Douglas knows it’s probably because her phone battery died,  Poppy has become more and more anxious and worried. The moment Douglas spots the correct house and pulls into the driveway Poppy is out the door and running around to the back of the house yelling, “Angie!!” at the top of her lungs.</p><p>“Poppy!!” scream the kids in response as they hastily unbuckle their seat belts and make a mad scramble out the car’s side doors. Douglas watches in astonishment as the three of them also careen around the house and out of his sight.</p><p>“It’s fine,” sighs Douglas as he looks in the rear view mirror and meets Jack’s eyes. The toddler looks back at him. “I’ve got the baby.”</p><p>He gets out of the car and stretches first, his legs are sore and cramped after the long drive and the small of his back aching. It’s hot here, even though it’s way past midday the sun is still blazing high in the sky and the air is very still and humid. Douglas looks back at the car and focuses his attention on Jack pulling annoyingly at his car seat buckle, eyes widening when he realizes that the entire front of Jack’s shirt is covered in crumbs.</p><p>“What? What is this?” demands Douglas of the toddler as he leans in and unbuckles him. “And why...why are you sticky?”</p><p>“Cookies!” demands Jack with a laugh as Douglas pulls him up and out of his car seat. Jack giggles and reaches up, pressing both palms to Douglas’ cheeks and squishing his face. It’s very unpleasant. “Cookies!” Jack says again, utterly pleased with himself.</p><p>Douglas looks over the top of Jack’s head  and at the half eaten piece of cookie left lying in the bottom of the car seat and then at the very big cookie mess on the car floor. Douglas briefly holds Jack away from his body in an attempt to shake off the crumbs but quickly gives up as most the crumbs get transferred to his body instead. Douglas sighs.</p><p>“Oh, Tony’s is going to have fun cleaning this up next week.”</p><p>Douglas continues to carry Jack as he closes the door and locks the car, not trusting the toddler enough to set him down just yet. With another long suffering sigh he turns and starts walking towards the back hoping against hope that Angie is packed up and ready to go. </p><p>When he gets to the backyard he is not surprised to see Poppy and Angie in a small huddle together speaking intently, the three kids nearby clearly trying to eavesdrop on the women's conversation. </p><p>“Amy! Emma! Rory!” barks Douglas. “You three are in charge of Jack right now. Come take him.”</p><p>Emma tries to protest but Douglas stays firm and within a minute he has all the kids over in the opposite side of the yard by the chain linked fence, watching as Jack explores the large space.</p><p>“Douglas!” Angie exclaims once he gets closer. “You came! And brought reinforcements!”</p><p>Douglas exchanges a soft smile with Poppy. She still looks beautiful even after four hours in the car. “I had no choice. Poppy’s pretty persuasive.”</p><p>“She is. One time she convinced me to donate all my roadside attraction snow globes to a nonprofit organization for sick kids who can't travel.”</p><p>“And?” Poppy prompts as Angie sighs.</p><p>“Well I really just threw them in the back of my closet for a week before putting them back out on display. But I thought about it! That counts.”</p><p>Douglas shakes his head. “So are you ready to go or…?</p><p>
  <em>“You’re leaving?!?!”</em>
</p><p>The unexpected voice makes them all jump in surprise and Douglas turns around to see Derek standing on the back porch, staring at Angie with the saddest expression on his face, like she just kicked a puppy and left it for dead. Angie looks embarrassed. </p><p>“Yeah, this just - I'm sorry Derek but this just isn’t working out for me.”</p><p>“But I made you dinner,” says Derek. “I even heated up the Spaghetti-O’s on the stove instead of in the microwave this time.” </p><p>“Oh Derek.”</p><p>“Wait.” Poppy turns to look at Angie, confused. “I thought you said Derek kicked you out after you set his turtle on fire.”</p><p>Angie winces. “I might have told a ‘small’ fib in order to get you out here faster.”</p><p>“So the turtle wasn’t set on fire?” asks Poppy.</p><p>“Oh, no she was.”</p><p>“Phoebe’s fine though,” says Derek, coming down the steps to join the group, his floppy curls bouncing. “I mean she hasn’t poked her head out of her shelf yet but that’s normal. She just doesn’t like colors. And that was a big red fireball coming at her. But seriously, Ange. You're leaving? Why?”</p><p>Douglas and Poppy exchange awkward glances. Derek sounds absolutely devastated and despite himself, Douglas finds himself feeling sorry for the man. He seemed to really like Angie though Douglas is at a loss for why. Almost as one he and Poppy tactfully move off to the side and give Angie and Derek their own space to talk privately.</p><p>“Man,” says Poppy, watching them. “Breakups are tough.”</p><p>“Tell me about it,” admits Douglas. “I still can’t sleep at night.”</p><p>Poppy looks up at him, her expression wistful and a little sad. She opens her mouth to speak but just then Amy dashes up, breathing heavily. </p><p>“Jack’s doing the pee-pee dance. I think he needs to go again.”</p><p>Douglas looks over and yup, Jack is doing his signature dance and judging by the pattern he looks to be moments away from pulling down his pants and just going there in the yard. Which wouldn't be the worst idea but just last week Douglas had sat through an entire twenty minutes of Miggy telling him how proud he is of Jack becoming a big boy and being able to finally pee in the toilet with no Cheerios needed and darn if Douglas is going to let today be the day that backwards cap wearing, goofy, happy man becomes sad again. Not on his watch.</p><p>“D’Amato!” shouts Douglas, sprinting over to the toddler. “Bathroom?!?”</p><p>Angie cocks a thumb over her shoulder. “Inside. Second door on the left.”</p><p>Douglas and Jack just barely make it to the bathroom in time. Jack doesn’t want to sit on a unfamiliar toilet so Douglas ends up having to hold him up in the air, point him in the right direction and just let the kid do his thing. Jack finds it all very amusing and Douglas has to admit it is a little fun. Much different than potty training the girls. By the time they finish and go back outside it seems Angie and Derek have finished their conversation and though Derek is still giving Angie sorrowful eyes, she and Poppy are rounding up the kids and getting them back into the car.</p><p>“You have a lot of stuff to take back?” Douglas asks, handing Jack over to Poppy.</p><p>“Just a few trash bags,” says Angie. “I’ll go grab them and meet you at the car.”</p><p>The parting doesn’t take as long as Douglas expected. Derek, though obviously sad, seems resigned to Angie leaving and doesn’t protest much other than giving her a big hug goodbye and not letting go until Angie pretends to black out. Angie, for her part, promises that she’ll see him in September when he comes down to visit Graham and that everything is fine between them, really, no hard feelings.</p><p>“Wow,” remarks Angie when she finally climbs into the car and settles in the seat next to Jack. Emma has happily given up her spot and is now sitting in the back row with Amy and Rory. “He must really adore me, poor guy. I'm such a heart breaker.”</p><p>“Are you though?” asks Douglas dryly as Poppy smacks him on the shoulder and Angie sticks her tongue out at him in response. Poppy turns around in her seat to look at Angie as Douglas backs slowly out of the driveway and onto the road.</p><p>“But seriously, Angie. Are you okay?”</p><p>“Yeah,” says Angie, waving at Derek who is standing on his front porch holding his pet turtle with one hand and raising a green leg in goodbye wave with the other. “Derek is a good guy...but not the guy for me. He wasn’t where I needed to be. <em> Who </em> I wanted to be with, you know?”</p><p>Douglas swears Poppy looks briefly at him. “Yeah,” Poppy says quietly. “I know.” </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>The trip back is long but uneventful. There is a lot of traffic and the kids get hungry so somewhere around West Covina Douglas ends at stopping at one of those fast food burger joints (not Ratso’s) that he and Angie love so much but Poppy hates. Conscious of her eyes on him he orders a burger wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun and he is rewarded with a large smile. Yes eating healthy sucks but Poppy’s right. He needs to take care of himself and be around for his girls.</p><p>All his girls.</p><p>They end up getting back to Poppy’s house around nine o’clock at night. All the kids are fast asleep in the seats behind them and as Douglas turns off the engine Angie pokes her head into the space between him and Poppy and says, hopefully. “Is there room in your sauna for tenant again?”</p><p>“Angie!” Poppy's voice sounds caught between a laugh and a snort.</p><p>“What? I can’t go back to my place, not when Rory and Miggy did such a good job subletting. Think of all those G’s I'd be missing.”</p><p>“And you choose my place because...”</p><p>“It’s my old home, my haven, my respite from the world. Poppy’s place is too small - no offense Pop.”</p><p>“None taken.”</p><p>“And I can’t go to Will’s for obvious reasons.”</p><p>“What obvious reasons?” Sometimes Douglas really enjoys playing dumb just to watch Angie squirm.</p><p>“Douglas!” Angie fake pouts at him, her lower lip quivering. It doesn’t do anything to change Douglas’s mind but the pleading look Poppy is giving him behind Angie does. He internally sighs. He really should have turned off his phone this morning.</p><p>“Fine. You can stay. But not in the sauna, I need it this summer. You can stay in the hall closet.”</p><p>“As long as it has enough room for my trash bags, I’m good.”</p><p>“Great,” he says gloomy. “Now let’s get these kids in the house.”</p><p>Douglas ends up carrying Jack inside. The toddler is passed out cold and he barely moves as Douglas helps Poppy slip off his shoes, socks and shorts, leaving the little boy in just his t-shirt and underwear.</p><p>“He’ll be fine like that until morning,” whispers Poppy as Douglas bends down and lays Jack softly in the toddler bed already set up in Rory’s room. The room is lit by Rory’s disco ball nightlight and in the strobes of the neon lights Douglas puts his hand on the small of Jack’s back, rubbing it softly. It seems like ages ago that Emma and Amy were this small.  </p><p>“He’s a good kid,” Douglas says, looking up at Poppy standing next to him. She’s staring wistfully down at Jack sleeping and Douglas thinks, not for the first time that day, that maybe he can do this again. With her. That it wouldn't be so bad this time.</p><p>“Pop,” he says at the exact moment that Poppy also says his name. They both laugh, awkwardly and then Douglas rises to his feet and tries again.</p><p>“Poppy do you-”</p><p>“Whew, it has been a <em>long</em> day,” announces Rory as he comes into his bedroom, oblivious to the two adults standing there frozen. “I am in need of a long shower and sleep. I feel like I just got off the Oregon Trail or something. That place was dust-<em>eeeey </em>.”</p><p>Rory walks over to his dresser and starts pulling out drawers, looking for clothes. Douglas stands there for a moment, feeling flustered and out of sorts. Poppy says nothing, just stares at her son, the expression on her face unreadable. Eventually Douglas makes a random motion with his hands and points towards the door. “I should...probably...I have the twins and Angie in the car.” </p><p>“Oh yes, yes,” says Poppy, her voice just as awkward as his. “Yes you should go.”</p><p>They walk out to the hallway and towards the front door, Poppy in the lead. When she opens it Douglas pauses next to her, wanting to say something, anything but finds himself at a loss for words. Instead he nods without making eye contact and then walks briskly to the car, his tread picking up quickly so by the time he reaches the driver’s seat he is practically jogging. </p><p>“So, have fun with Poppy?” asks Angie with an ear to ear grin, her eyes dancing. She’s moved seats in his absence and is now sitting up front with him.</p><p>“Have you texted Will yet?” asks Douglas, a bit more harshly than he intends to as he puts the key in the ignition and turns it on. </p><p>“Not cool, Big D. Not cool.” says Angie with a shake of her head as they back out of the driveway. Once they get to his house it only takes a few trips to get the girls and all of Angie’s bags inside. Douglas leaves Emma and Amy to show Angie the closet, deciding he needs to change into something more comfortable and relax. He needs to unwind. Within a half an hour he is showered and shaved, dressed in his most comfortable pair of pajamas and evening robe with a single shot of malt whiskey rattling in the glass before him.</p><p>Douglas stares at his night cap, unable to drink. His mind is racing. What was Poppy going to say? Was it the same thing he was going to say? That he’s missed her like crazy and today was just one huge, long, drawn out reminder of that fact? That life is hard, sometimes messy but everything is infinitely easier with her in it? That she is both strength and softness tied up in the most gorgeous smile he's ever seen in his whole life? That he doesn't think he could ever get over her even if he lived another fifty years? He stares at his whiskey for what seems like hours until he finally makes up his mind. He changes quickly into jeans and a long sleeve pullover and grabs his car keys.</p><p>“I’m going out for a bit,” he calls to Angie as he passes through the living room. She is sitting on his sofa watching one of those trashy reality shows she likes so much, eating ice cream right out of the container with a spoon. </p><p>“Say hi to Poppy for me!” replies Angie around a mouthful of ice cream. “Let love in!”</p><p>“Call Will!” says Douglas in response, shutting the front door and cutting off Angie’s very emphatic “No!” behind him. He thinks he hears the clank of a spoon against the door.</p><p>Douglas doesn’t remember much about the drive to Poppy’s place. It feels like only seconds pass before he is once again standing at her front door, knocking quietly in the glow of the street lamps. </p><p>“Douglas?” asks Poppy in surprise as she opens the door and blinks up at him. She’s already dressed for bed in her pajamas, a decorative shawl draped across her shoulders, hair in a sideways braid and slippers on her feet. She looks beautiful. She looks like home.</p><p>“Can I come in?” Douglas asks.</p><p>Poppy obliges, closing the door behind them and gesturing wordlessly to the sofa. He takes a seat and she sits down next to him.</p><p>“Listen, Poppy. I’ve been thinking.”</p><p>“Me too.”</p><p>“Wait. Let me go first, please.”</p><p>Poppy nods. Douglas reaches over and picks up her hand, cradling it in between his own as he struggles to find the right words. “Spending time with you and the kids today made me realize how much I miss having you around. I miss you Poppy and I don’t want you in my life as only a friend. I can’t live like that anymore. I want you in my life as my girlfriend again, as my partner.”</p><p>“Douglas-”</p><p>“Please, I’m not finished yet. Look if you want a baby, let’s have a baby together. It wasn’t so bad today with Jack. Some parts were actually alright. We are great parents and a great couple and Poppy." He sighs. "I just want you back anyway I can get.”</p><p>Douglas stops and looks at Poppy who is staring at him, her mouth gaping. </p><p>“Aren’t you going to say anything?” he prods as she continues to stare. She shuts her mouth and removes her hand from his, bringing it up to cup his face. Her eyes are like stars in the moonlight.</p><p>“I’ve missed you too,” she admits, letting her hand fall back to her lap. “Dreadfully. But after today Douglas, I realized something. I don't want another baby.”</p><p>“What? Why? Are you sure?”</p><p>She nods, her face open and honest. “I thought I did, in that hospital room. I really did. Holding Sharon and Ron’s newborn and feeling all those emotions again, I thought that is what I wanted. But I forgot, Douglas. I forgot that babies grow and then they turn into toddlers with boundless reams of energy who need constant supervision, engagement and attention. And poop, so much poop. I was really terrified in that Denny’s bathroom that I was going to have to hose Jack off in that sink and just leave all his clothes in there to be burned.”</p><p>“That would have been a sight to see.”</p><p>Poppy leans towards him and rests her head on his shoulder. He wraps an arm around her as she continues. “I’m exhausted Douglas. I am so tired right now and that was me spending twelve hours with you and three other kids watching him. How are we going to survive if we have one and it’s just us? By ourselves? I’m not twenty eight anymore and I just don’t think I could handle it. I don't <em>want</em> to handle it. That's no way to live, that's no way to raise a kid.”</p><p>Douglas stares across the room at nothing in particular as he lets her words sink in. After a moment he asks, carefully. “Do you mean that? Are you sure? Because I’ll have another baby Poppy. I’ll do it with you, if it's what you want. We can hire help to make it easier.”</p><p>She looks up, tears glistening in her eyes and shakes her head firmly. “No. I don’t want that. You don't want that either but I love you for wanting it for me. I know what I want Douglas and it’s not some imaginary child. I just want you, Douglas. You, me, Amy, Emma and Rory. That's all I want.”</p><p>Douglas can't stop the biggest grin he’s ever had from spreading over his face. It’s stretching out facial muscles he didn’t know still worked. He's loved before but not like this.</p><p>“I just want you as well. I love you Poppy. I love you.”</p><p>“I love you too, Douglas.”</p><p>He leans down and she leans up. Their lips meet and it feels better than all their past kisses combined. It’s sweeter, softer, and filled with the promise of a future yet to come. Douglas draws back and stares at Poppy in the dimly lit living room, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. He's missed her. He's missed her so much that he really didn't realize <i>how</i> much until this moment. He continues staring at her, slightly overwhelmed and fearful that this is all a dream until Poppy reaches up to brushes away a few stray tears that are rolling unbidden down his cheeks, her touch gentle.  She smiles at him, her entire face glowing and Douglas can't help but smile back. Now they are both beaming at each other like a pair of besotted teenagers but Douglas does not have it in him to care. Not even a little bit. He leans back down and she meets him halfway and suddenly their kisses take on a more frantic and aggressive pace, as if they are both desperate to make up for lost time.</p><p>“I’m telling you right now,” Douglas declares after a few minutes of heavy necking. He breaks away to look at Poppy, his tone turning serious. “I am not letting you go. I will not go through this again.”</p><p>“Well good because I’m not letting you go either. You, Douglas Fogerty, are stuck with me.”</p><p>His heart feels like it is soaring. “Sounds perfect.”</p><p> </p><p>And it is. </p><p> </p>
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